U.S. patent application number 14/063051 was filed with the patent office on 2015-04-30 for managing filesystem inodes.
This patent application is currently assigned to International Business Machines Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Nikhil Khandelwal, Gregory E. McBride, Richard A. Welp.
Application Number | 20150120792 14/063051 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52996680 |
Filed Date | 2015-04-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150120792 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Khandelwal; Nikhil ; et
al. |
April 30, 2015 |
Managing Filesystem Inodes
Abstract
A mechanism is provided in a data processing system for managing
filesystem inodes. The mechanism monitors inode consumption in a
filesystem. The mechanism periodically determines a number of
inodes to add to the filesystem based on the inode consumption and
adds the number of inodes to the filesystem.
Inventors: |
Khandelwal; Nikhil; (Tucson,
AZ) ; McBride; Gregory E.; (Vail, AZ) ; Welp;
Richard A.; (Tucson, AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
International Business Machines
Corporation
Armonk
NY
|
Family ID: |
52996680 |
Appl. No.: |
14/063051 |
Filed: |
October 25, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
707/825 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/1727 20190101;
G06F 16/18 20190101; G06F 16/13 20190101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/825 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/30 20060101
G06F017/30 |
Claims
1. A method, in a data processing system, for managing filesystem
inodes, the method comprising: monitoring inode consumption in a
filesystem; periodically determining a number of inodes to add to
the filesystem based on the inode consumption; and adding the
number of inodes to the filesystem.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein monitoring inode consumption in
the filesystem comprises tracking filesystem storage usage
variables, metadata storage usage data, and inode usage
variables.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the inode usage variables
comprise number of used inodes, number of available inodes, last
number of inodes used in a tracking period, last number of inodes
available in a tracking period, number of inodes allocated, or
maximum number of inodes permitted.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein periodically determining the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem comprises, responsive to
expiration of a tracking period: calculating a rate of consumption
of inodes over the tracking period; calculating a projected number
of inodes at full workload; responsive to an expected inode
consumption over a predetermined time period being greater than a
number of available inodes, calculating a projected change; setting
the number of inodes to add to the filesystem equal to a greater of
the rate of consumption times a first time period or a maximum rate
of consumption times a second time period; and responsive to the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem plus the number of
available inodes being greater than the projected number of inodes
at full workload, setting the number of inodes to add to the
filesystem equal to the projected change; and responsive to the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem being less than a floor
threshold, setting the number of inodes to add to the filesystem
equal to the floor threshold.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: adjusting the
tracking period.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the tracking period
comprises decreasing the tracking period by an average of growth of
inode consumption over the tracking period responsive to the number
of inodes consumed trending higher.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the tracking period
comprises increasing the tracking period by an average of decline
of inode consumption over the tracking period responsive to the
number of inodes consumed trending lower.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive to an
amount of metadata storage space being used exceeding a threshold,
alerting the system to add more disk space.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: responsive to
metadata storage space being consumed faster than filesystem
storage space, requesting more metadata storage space; and
responsive to filesystem storage space being consumed faster than
metadata storage space, requesting more filesystem storage
space.
10. A computer program product comprising a computer readable
storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein,
wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing
device, causes the computing device to: monitor inode consumption
in a filesystem; periodically determine a number of inodes to add
to the filesystem based on the inode consumption; and add the
number of inodes to the filesystem.
11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein monitoring
inode consumption in the filesystem comprises tracking inode usage
variables comprising number of used inodes, number of available
inodes, last number of inodes used in a tracking period, last
number of inodes available in a tracking period, number of inodes
allocated, or maximum number of inodes permitted.
12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein periodically
determining the number of inodes to add to the filesystem
comprises, responsive to expiration of a tracking period:
calculating a rate of consumption of inodes over the tracking
period; calculating a projected number of inodes at full workload;
responsive to an expected inode consumption over a predetermined
time period being greater than a number of available inodes,
calculating a projected change; setting the number of inodes to add
to the filesystem equal to a greater of the rate of consumption
times a first time period or a maximum rate of consumption times a
second time period; and responsive to the number of inodes to add
to the filesystem plus the number of available inodes being greater
than the projected number of inodes at full workload, setting the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem equal to the projected
change; and responsive to the number of inodes to add to the
filesystem being less than a floor threshold, setting the number of
inodes to add to the filesystem equal to the floor threshold.
13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:
adjusting the tracking period.
14. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:
responsive to an amount of metadata storage space being used
exceeding a threshold, alerting the system to add more disk
space.
15. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:
responsive to metadata storage space being consumed faster than
filesystem storage space, requesting more metadata storage space;
and responsive to filesystem storage space being consumed faster
than metadata storage space, requesting more filesystem storage
space.
16. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to
the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which,
when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: monitor
inode consumption in a filesystem; periodically determine a number
of inodes to add to the filesystem based on the inode consumption;
and add the number of inodes to the filesystem.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein monitoring inode consumption
in the filesystem comprises tracking inode usage variables
comprising number of used inodes, number of available inodes, last
number of modes used in a tracking period, last number of inodes
available in a tracking period, number of inodes allocated, or
maximum number of inodes permitted.
18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein periodically determining the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem comprises, responsive to
expiration of a tracking period: calculating a rate of consumption
of inodes over the tracking period; calculating a projected number
of inodes at full workload; responsive to an expected inode
consumption over a predetermined time period being greater than a
number of available inodes, calculating a projected change; setting
the number of inodes to add to the filesystem equal to a greater of
the rate of consumption times a first time period or a maximum rate
of consumption times a second time period; and responsive to the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem plus the number of
available inodes being greater than the projected number of inodes
at full workload, setting the number of inodes to add to the
filesystem equal to the projected change; and responsive to the
number of inodes to add to the filesystem being less than a floor
threshold, setting the number of inodes to add to the filesystem
equal to the floor threshold.
19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions further
cause the processor to: responsive to an amount of metadata storage
space being used exceeding a threshold, alert the system to add
more disk space.
20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the instructions further
cause the processor to: responsive to metadata storage space being
consumed faster than filesystem storage space, request more
metadata storage space; and responsive to filesystem storage space
being consumed faster than metadata storage space, request more
filesystem storage space.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present application relates generally to an improved
data processing apparatus and method and more specifically to
mechanisms for managing filesystem inodes.
[0002] In computing, a file system (or filesystem) is used to
control how information is stored and retrieved. Without a file
system, information placed in a storage area would be one large
body of information with no way to tell where one piece of
information stops and the next begins. There are many different
kinds of file systems. Each one has different structure and logic.
Each one has different properties of speed, flexibility, security,
size and more. Some file systems have been designed to be used for
specific applications. The General Parallel File System (GPFS) is a
high-performance clustered file system that can be deployed in
shared-disk or shared-nothing distributed parallel modes.
[0003] In computing, an inode (index node) is a data structure
found in many Unix file systems. Each inode stores all the
information about a file system object (file, device node, socket,
pipe, etc.). It does not store the file's data content and file
name except for certain cases in modern file systems.
SUMMARY
[0004] In one illustrative embodiment, a method, in a data
processing system, is provided for managing filesystem inodes. The
method comprises monitoring inode consumption in a filesystem. The
method further comprises periodically determining a number of
inodes to add to the filesystem based on the inode consumption. The
method further comprises adding the number of inodes to the
filesystem.
[0005] In other illustrative embodiments, a computer program
product comprising a computer useable or readable medium having a
computer readable program is provided. The computer readable
program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing
device to perform various ones of, and combinations of, the
operations outlined above with regard to the method illustrative
embodiment.
[0006] In yet another illustrative embodiment, a system/apparatus
is provided. The system/apparatus may comprise one or more
processors and a memory coupled to the one or more processors. The
memory may comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or
more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform
various ones of, and combinations of, the operations outlined above
with regard to the method illustrative embodiment.
[0007] These and other features and advantages of the present
invention will be described in, or will become apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art in view of, the following detailed
description of the example embodiments of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The invention, as well as a preferred mode of use and
further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood
by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative
embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of an example
distributed data processing system in which aspects of the
illustrative embodiments may be implemented;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example data processing
system in which aspects of the illustrative embodiments may be
implemented;
[0011] FIG. 3 illustrates principle elements in a file system in
accordance with an illustrative embodiment;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system for managing
filesystem inodes in accordance with an illustrative
embodiment;
[0013] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a mechanism
for managing inodes in a filesystem in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment;
[0014] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a mechanism
for determining the number of inodes required to implement the
filesystem in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; and
[0015] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a mechanism
for managing metadata and filesystem storage in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] The illustrative embodiments provide a mechanism for
managing filesystem inodes. In current filesystem implementations,
the ability to track, monitor, and maintain a filesystem have some
limitations. In one example implementation of GPFS, maintaining and
configuring inodes for the filesystem is a manual task, requiring
the storage administrator to make sure ample inodes are available
to the filesystem. While the procedure to modify the inode
configuration is available to the customer, the lack of
intelligence around the implementation is limiting. If the number
of inodes is too small, the filesystem will run out of available
inodes before the filesystem uses all of its physical disk
allocation. If one allocates too many inodes, the cost to scan the
inodes grows greatly. The need to maintain and optimize the use of
inodes is one factor the storage administrator needs to
monitor.
[0017] The illustrative embodiments provide a mechanism for
monitoring the usage patterns of the filesystem and the file size
of the contents of the system to track the expected number of
inodes the system needs to optimally work. By tracking this total
amount of storage, average file size, and usage patterns, the
mechanism can predict the number of inodes required to optimally
implement the filesystem.
[0018] The illustrative embodiments may be utilized in many
different types of data processing environments. In order to
provide a context for the description of the specific elements and
functionality of the illustrative embodiments, FIGS. 1 and 2 are
provided hereafter as example environments in which aspects of the
illustrative embodiments may be implemented. It should be
appreciated that FIGS. 1 and 2 are only examples and are not
intended to assert or imply any limitation with regard to the
environments in which aspects or embodiments of the present
invention may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted
environments may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 1 depicts a pictorial representation of an example
distributed data processing system in which aspects of the
illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Distributed data
processing system 100 may include a network of computers in which
aspects of the illustrative embodiments may be implemented. The
distributed data processing system 100 contains at least one
network 102, which is the medium used to provide communication
links between various devices and computers connected together
within distributed data processing system 100. The network 102 may
include connections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or
fiber optic cables.
[0020] In the depicted example, server 104 and server 106 are
connected to network 102 along with storage unit 108. In addition,
clients 110, 112, and 114 are also connected to network 102. These
clients 110, 112, and 114 may be, for example, personal computers,
network computers, or the like. In the depicted example, server 104
provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and
applications to the clients 110, 112, and 114. Clients 110, 112,
and 114 are clients to server 104 in the depicted example.
Distributed data processing system 100 may include additional
servers, clients, and other devices not shown.
[0021] In the depicted example, distributed data processing system
100 is the Internet with network 102 representing a worldwide
collection of networks and gateways that use the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to
communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a
backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes
or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial,
governmental, educational and other computer systems that route
data and messages. Of course, the distributed data processing
system 100 may also be implemented to include a number of different
types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area
network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the like. As stated
above, FIG. 1 is intended as an example, not as an architectural
limitation for different embodiments of the present invention, and
therefore, the particular elements shown in FIG. 1 should not be
considered limiting with regard to the environments in which the
illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be
implemented.
[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example data processing
system in which aspects of the illustrative embodiments may be
implemented. Data processing system 200 is an example of a
computer, such as client 110 in FIG. 1, in which computer usable
code or instructions implementing the processes for illustrative
embodiments of the present invention may be located.
[0023] In the depicted example, data processing system 200 employs
a hub architecture including north bridge and memory controller hub
(NB/MCH) 202 and south bridge and input/output (I/O) controller hub
(SB/ICH) 204. Processing unit 206, main memory 208, and graphics
processor 210 are connected to NB/MCH 202. Graphics processor 210
may be connected to NB/MCH 202 through an accelerated graphics port
(AGP).
[0024] In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter
212 connects to SB/ICH 204. Audio adapter 216, keyboard and mouse
adapter 220, modem 222, read only memory (ROM) 224, hard disk drive
(HDD) 226, CD-ROM drive 230, universal serial bus (USB) ports and
other communication ports 232, and PCI/PCIe devices 234 connect to
SB/ICH 204 through bus 238 and bus 240. PCI/PCIe devices may
include, for example, Ethernet adapters, add-in cards, and PC cards
for notebook computers. PCI uses a card bus controller, while PCIe
does not. ROM 224 may be, for example, a flash basic input/output
system (BIOS).
[0025] HDD 226 and CD-ROM drive 230 connect to SB/ICH 204 through
bus 240. HDD 226 and CD-ROM drive 230 may use, for example, an
integrated drive electronics (IDE) or serial advanced technology
attachment (SATA) interface. Super I/O (SIO) device 236 may be
connected to SB/ICH 204.
[0026] An operating system runs on processing unit 206. The
operating system coordinates and provides control of various
components within the data processing system 200 in FIG. 2. As a
client, the operating system may be a commercially available
operating system such as Microsoft.RTM. Windows 7.RTM.. An
object-oriented programming system, such as the Java.TM.
programming system, may run in conjunction with the operating
system and provides calls to the operating system from Java.TM.
programs or applications executing on data processing system
200.
[0027] As a server, data processing system 200 may be, for example,
an IBM.RTM. eServer.TM. System p.RTM. computer system, running the
Advanced Interactive Executive (AIX.RTM.) operating system or the
LINUX.RTM. operating system. Data processing system 200 may be a
symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system including a plurality of
processors in processing unit 206. Alternatively, a single
processor system may be employed.
[0028] Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented
programming system, and applications or programs are located on
storage devices, such as HDD 226, and may be loaded into main
memory 208 for execution by processing unit 206. The processes for
illustrative embodiments of the present invention may be performed
by processing unit 206 using computer usable program code, which
may be located in a memory such as, for example, main memory 208,
ROM 224, or in one or more peripheral devices 226 and 230, for
example.
[0029] A bus system, such as bus 238 or bus 240 as shown in FIG. 2,
may be comprised of one or more buses. Of course, the bus system
may be implemented using any type of communication fabric or
architecture that provides for a transfer of data between different
components or devices attached to the fabric or architecture. A
communication unit, such as modem 222 or network adapter 212 of
FIG. 2, may include one or more devices used to transmit and
receive data. A memory may be, for example, main memory 208, ROM
224, or a cache such as found in NB/MCH 202 in FIG. 2.
[0030] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
hardware in FIGS. 1 and 2 may vary depending on the implementation.
Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash
memory, equivalent non-volatile memory, or optical disk drives and
the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware
depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. Also, the processes of the illustrative
embodiments may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing
system, other than the SMP system mentioned previously, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0031] Moreover, the data processing system 200 may take the form
of any of a number of different data processing systems including
client computing devices, server computing devices, a tablet
computer, laptop computer, telephone or other communication device,
a personal digital assistant (PDA), or the like. In some
illustrative examples, data processing system 200 may be a portable
computing device that is configured with flash memory to provide
non-volatile memory for storing operating system files and/or
user-generated data, for example. Essentially, data processing
system 200 may be any known or later developed data processing
system without architectural limitation.
[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates principle elements in a file system in
accordance with an illustrative embodiment. A typical file system,
such as the one shown, includes directory tree 310, inode file 320,
and data file 350 containing data block 352. A "directory" is a
control structure that associates a name with a set of data
represented by an inode. An "inode" is a data structure that
contains the attributes of the file plus a series of pointers to
areas of disk or other storage media, which contain the data that
make up the file. Indirect blocks may supplement the inode with
additional pointers, such as for very large files.
[0033] The directory tree, inode file, and data are typically
present in a file system as files themselves. For example as shown
in FIG. 3, inode file 320 comprises a collection of individual
records or entries 330. In the depicted example, there is only one
inode file per file system; however, cases where the file system
comprises multiple inode files may be contemplated. Entries in
directory tree 310 include a name field 316 and an inode number
317.
[0034] Special entries may be employed to denote a file as being a
directory. A directory is a special file in which the names of the
stored files are maintained in an arbitrarily deep directory tree.
A directory tree is a collection of directories, which includes all
of the directories in the file system. A directory is a specific
type of file that is an element in the directory tree. A directory
is a collection of pointers to nodes, which are either files or
directories that occupy a lower position in the directory tree. A
directory entry is a single record in a directory that points to a
data file or directory.
[0035] In FIG. 3, an exemplary directory tree contains elements of
the form 315, as shown. While FIG. 3 illustrates a hierarchy with
only two levels (for purposes of convenience), it should be
understood the depth of the hierarchical tree structure of a
directory is not limited to two levels. In fact, there may be
dozens or even hundreds of levels present in a directory tree for
very large file systems. The depth of the directory tree does,
nevertheless, contribute to the necessity of multiple, sequential
directory references when only one file is needed to be identified
or accessed. However, in all cases the "leaves" of the directory
tree are employed to associate a file name 316 with entry 330 in
inode file 320. The reference is by "inode number" 317, which
provides a pointer or index into inode file 320.
[0036] Directory tree 310 provides a hierarchical name space for
the file system in that it enables reference to individual file
entries by file name and a path through the tree, as opposed to
reference by inode number. Each entry in a directory points to an
inode. That inode may itself be another directory or a data file.
Inode entry 330 is referenced by the entry in field 317. Inode file
entry 330 in inode file 320 may be implemented as a linear list.
Each entry in the list may include a plurality of fields: inode
number 331, generation number 332, individual file attributes 333,
data pointer 334, date of last modification 335, date of last
access 336, date of last metadata modification 337, and indicator
field to indicate whether the inode represents a directory or data
file 338. Data pointer 334 points to data block 350 containing data
352.
[0037] In many filesystem implementations, when the filesystem is
created, the filesystem is given a static amount of storage. From
this point, the administrator makes default configurations. For
example, the administrator may give the filesystem a maximum number
of inodes and pre-allocate a set number of inodes that is less than
the maximum. The mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments track
usage of the filesystem to determine how to maintain the
filesystem.
[0038] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a system for managing
filesystem inodes in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.
Filesystem inode management system 410 tracks filesystem 401 and
metadata 402. System 410 comprises monitor 411 and filesystem
storage manager 415.
[0039] Monitor 411 tracks inode usage variables 412, filesystem
storage usage variables 413, and metadata storage usage data 414.
Filesystem storage usage variables 413 may include filesystem size,
and amount of filesystem storage used, for example. Metadata
storage usage variables 414 may include total amount of metadata
space and amount of metadata used, for example. Inode usage
variables 412 may include number of used inodes, number of
available inodes, last number of inodes used (in a tracking
period), last number of inodes available (in the tracking period),
number of inodes allocated, and maximum number of inodes, for
example. Monitor 411 tracks the variables 412-414 at specific
times, i.e., at the expiration of a predetermined tracking
period.
[0040] Filesystem storage manager 415 analyzes these data points
against previous iterations of the data and establishes trends. As
the number of used inodes increases, the filesystem storage manager
415 automatically adds more inodes based on the rate the inodes are
being consumed by the filesystem. In one example embodiment,
filesystem storage manager 415 determines the number of inodes to
be added by calculating the average of the last three iterations of
newly consumed inodes so that there will be enough inodes to handle
any large swings in inode consumption during an iteration of the
tracking period.
[0041] In another example embodiment, filesystem storage manager
415 may determine an approximate number of inodes required to
properly implement the filesystem. Filesystem storage manager may
predict how many inodes may be required to ensure the system has
enough inodes to continue to grow based on the number of inodes
used vs. the percentage of the disk space used. Filesystem storage
manager 415 may also record the last time run, the current time,
the interval for running, and the maximum rate of consumption.
[0042] In another embodiment, system 410 tracks how much metadata
space is available in metadata storage usage variables 414 and
tracks how much filesystem space is available in filesystem storage
usage variables 413. Once the metadata space reaches specific
thresholds, system 410 alerts the filesystem that more disk space
will be needed if the current rate of inode consumption continues.
System 410 determines the thresholds based on the number of inodes
in the filesystem, the amount of available space in the metadata
disks, and the available space in the filesystem. If the amount of
metadata space is being consumed faster than the amount of space in
the filesystem, then system 410 alerts the filesystem administrator
that more metadata disks are needed. If the filesystem space is
growing by percentage faster than the metadata space, system 410
alerts the filesystem administrator that more filesystem space is
needed.
[0043] In yet another embodiment, system 410 determines the
tracking period based on the number of inodes being consumed over a
period of time, such as the last three iterations of the tracking
period. If the number of inodes consumed is trending higher, then
system 410 decreases the tracking period by the average of the
growth over the period of time. If the number of inodes being
consumed is trending lower, then system 410 increases the tracking
period by average of the decline in consumption. System 410 may
have a predetermined floor and ceiling for the tracking period,
ensuring that system 410 does not overwhelm or under check the
filesystem.
[0044] In one example embodiment, system 410 determines the
tracking period as follows:
period = ( number_of _inodes _used / ROC ) 1000 , ##EQU00001##
[0045] with a minimum of 60 seconds and a maximum of 900 seconds.
This is only one example of calculating the tracking period. In one
example embodiment, system 410 determines the rate of consumption
(ROC) as follows:
ROC = number_of _inodes _used - last_number _of _inodes _used
period . ##EQU00002##
[0046] One may use other techniques for calculating the tracking
period and ROC depending upon the implementation.
[0047] The above aspects and advantages of the illustrative
embodiments of the present invention will be described in greater
detail hereafter with reference to the accompanying figures. It
should be appreciated that the figures are only intended to be
illustrative of exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The
present invention may encompass aspects, embodiments, and
modifications to the depicted exemplary embodiments not explicitly
shown in the figures but would be readily apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art in view of the present description of the
illustrative embodiments.
[0048] As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of
the present invention may be embodied as a system, method, or
computer program product. Accordingly, aspects of the present
invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an
entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident
software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and
hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a
"circuit," "module" or "system." Furthermore, aspects of the
present invention may take the form of a computer program product
embodied in any one or more computer readable medium(s) having
computer usable program code embodied thereon.
[0049] Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s)
may be utilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer
readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A
computer readable storage medium is a system, apparatus, or device
of an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or
semiconductor nature, any suitable combination of the foregoing, or
equivalents thereof. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list)
of the computer readable storage medium would include the
following: an electrical device having a storage capability, a
portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory
(RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only
memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber based device, a
portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storage
device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of
the foregoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable
storage medium is any tangible medium that can contain or store a
program for use by, or in connection with, an instruction execution
system, apparatus, or device.
[0050] In some illustrative embodiments, the computer readable
medium is a non-transitory computer readable medium. A
non-transitory computer readable medium is any medium that is not a
disembodied signal or propagation wave, i.e. pure signal or
propagation wave per se. A non-transitory computer readable medium
may utilize signals and propagation waves, but is not the signal or
propagation wave itself. Thus, for example, various forms of memory
devices, and other types of systems, devices, or apparatus, that
utilize signals in any way, such as, for example, to maintain their
state, may be considered to be non-transitory computer readable
media within the scope of the present description.
[0051] A computer readable signal medium, on the other hand, may
include a propagated data signal with computer readable program
code embodied therein, for example, in a baseband or as part of a
carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of
forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or
any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signal medium
may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable
storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a
program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution
system, apparatus, or device. Similarly, a computer readable
storage medium is any computer readable medium that is not a
computer readable signal medium.
[0052] Computer code embodied on a computer readable medium may be
transmitted using any appropriate medium, including but not limited
to wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF),
etc., or any suitable combination thereof.
[0053] Computer program code for carrying out operations for
aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination
of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented
programming language such as Java.TM., Smalltalk.TM., C++, or the
like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as
the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The
program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider).
[0054] Aspects of the present invention are described below with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products
according to the illustrative embodiments of the invention. It will
be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or
block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart
illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer
program instructions. These computer program instructions may be
provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special
purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus
to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or
blocks.
[0055] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a
computer readable medium that can direct a computer, other
programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored
in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture
including instructions that implement the function/act specified in
the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0056] The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a
computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other
devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on
the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other devices to
produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions
which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus
provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in
the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0057] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a mechanism
for managing inodes in a filesystem in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment. Operation begins (block 500), and the
mechanism determines whether the tracking iteration period has
expired (block 501). If the iteration period has not expired, the
mechanism tracks filesystem variables, including filesystem storage
usage, inode consumption, metadata storage usage, etc. (block 502).
Then, operation returns to block 501 to determine whether the
iteration period has expired.
[0058] If the iteration period has expired in block 501, the
mechanism determines the number of inodes required to implement the
filesystem (block 600). The operation of determining the number of
inodes required to implement the filesystem is described in further
detail below with reference to FIG. 6.
[0059] Then, the mechanism manages metadata and filesystem storage
(block 700). The operation of managing metadata and filesystem
storage is described in further detail below with reference to FIG.
7.
[0060] Thereafter, the mechanism adjusts the tracking iteration
period (block 503), and operation ends (block 504).
[0061] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a mechanism
for determining the number of inodes required to implement the
filesystem in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Operation
begins (block 600), and the mechanism calculates the rate of
consumption (ROC) and projected number of inodes at full workload
(PROJECTED) (block 601). In one embodiment, the mechanism
calculates the rate of consumption as follows:
ROC = number_of _inodes _used - last_number _of _inodes _used
period . ##EQU00003##
[0062] One may use other techniques for calculating the ROC
depending upon the implementation. In one embodiment, the mechanism
calculates PROJECTED as follows:
PROJECTED = number_of _inodes _used percentage_of _filesystem _used
. ##EQU00004##
[0063] In one embodiment, the mechanism may also calculate the
inode per kb allocated as follows:
inode_per _kb _allocated = number_of _inodes _used filesystem_used
. ##EQU00005##
[0064] Next, the mechanism compares the number of available inodes
to the expected consumption (e.g., ROC.times.2 weeks) (block 602).
If the number of available inodes is greater than or equal to the
expected consumption, operation ends (block 603).
[0065] If the number of available inodes is less than the expected
consumption, the mechanism calculates the projected change in the
number of inodes (block 604). The mechanism then compares the
average ROC over a long period (e.g., three months) to the maximum
ROC over a short period (e.g., one month) (block 605). If the
average ROC over the long period is greater than the maximum ROC
over the short period, the mechanism sets the number of inodes to
allocate (ALLOCATE) to be equal to the average ROC over the long
period (block 606). If the average ROC over the long period is less
than the maximum ROC over the short period, the mechanism sets
ALLOCATE equal to the maximum ROC over the short period (block
607).
[0066] Thereafter, the mechanism compares the number of inodes to
allocate (ALLOCATE) plus the number of available inodes to the
projected number of inodes at full workload (PROJECTED) (block
608). If ALLOCATE+the number of available inodes is greater than
PROJECTED, then the mechanism sets ALLOCATE equal to the projected
change (deltaProjected) (block 609). The mechanism calculates
deltaProjected as follows:
deltaProjected=PROJECTED-inodes available.
[0067] Thereafter, or if ALLOCATE+the number of available inodes is
less than or equal to PROJECTED, the mechanism compares ALLOCATE to
a floor value (block 610). If ALLOCATE is greater than or equal to
the floor value, operation ends (block 603). If ALLOCATE is less
than the floor value, the mechanism sets ALLOCATE equal to the
floor value (block 611), and operation ends (block 603).
[0068] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating operation of a mechanism
for managing metadata and filesystem storage in accordance with an
illustrative embodiment. Operation begins (block 700), and the
mechanism calculates a metadata space threshold (block 701). The
mechanism may determine the metadata space threshold based on the
number of inodes in the filesystem, the amount of available space
in the metadata disks, and the available space in the filesystem.
The mechanism then compares the metadata space used to the
threshold (block 702). If the metadata space used is greater than
the threshold, the mechanism alerts the system that more disk space
is needed (block 703).
[0069] Thereafter, or if the metadata space used is less than or
equal to the threshold, the mechanism determines whether the
metadata space is being consumed faster than the filesystem space
(block 704). If the metadata space is being consumed faster than
the filesystem space, the mechanism requests more metadata space
(block 705). Thereafter, operation ends (block 708).
[0070] If the metadata space is not being consumed faster than the
filesystem space, the mechanism determines whether the filesystem
space is being consumed faster than the metadata space (block 706).
If the filesystem space is being consumed faster than the metadata
space, the mechanism requests more filesystem space (block 707).
Thereafter, or if the filesystem space is not being consumed faster
than the metadata space, operation ends (block 708).
[0071] The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more
executable instructions for implementing the specified logical
function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative
implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of
the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in
succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or
the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order,
depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted
that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart
illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams
and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special
purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions
or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer
instructions.
[0072] As noted above, it should be appreciated that the
illustrative embodiments may take the form of an entirely hardware
embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment
containing both hardware and software elements. In one example
embodiment, the mechanisms of the illustrative embodiments are
implemented in software or program code, which includes but is not
limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.
[0073] A data processing system suitable for storing and/or
executing program code will include at least one processor coupled
directly or indirectly to memory elements through a system bus. The
memory elements can include local memory employed during actual
execution of the program code, bulk storage, and cache memories
which provide temporary storage of at least some program code in
order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved from
bulk storage during execution.
[0074] Input/output or I/O devices (including but not limited to
keyboards, displays, pointing devices, etc.) can be coupled to the
system either directly or through intervening I/O controllers.
Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the
data processing system to become coupled to other data processing
systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening
private or public networks. Modems, cable modems and Ethernet cards
are just a few of the currently available types of network
adapters.
[0075] The description of the present invention has been presented
for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended
to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed.
Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of
ordinary skill in the art. The embodiment was chosen and described
in order to best explain the principles of the invention, the
practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in
the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with
various modifications as are suited to the particular use
contemplated.
* * * * *